


Monsters like us

by Jitter



Category: The Dresden Files - All Media Types, The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Angst, Brotp, Character Death, Friendship, Other, Tumblr Prompt, broship, i miss you meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-03-04 12:58:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3068819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jitter/pseuds/Jitter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My Mab and SiriuslySmart's Thomas have bonded over who would troll Harry harder by pretending to be friends. They ended up being friends and Thomas was shocked and appalled when he found out that Mab didn't know about Harry Potter.<br/>Thought you'd need this information to make this extra painful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Monsters like us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SiriuslySmart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiriuslySmart/gifts).



**Year One.**

The Raith estate had their own personal graveyard in their grounds and Mab had made a small deal with Lara Raith to be allowed to visit when she pleased. She was only to go to the grave and that grave only but that was all she needed.

She had made it a biweekly occurrence, visiting after sundown, the time they would usually meet for their movie nights -yes, the idea had still seemed absurd even after he had been gone for this long -. She would sit by his headstone, legs curled up  close to her body, book and a cup of coffee in hand and would read aloud for an hour.

She read it slowly, to make it last and as a result she was still in the fifth book, albeit close to the end, but it was now a year since he had fallen,  _foolishly_ jumping in the way to save his mortal.

Neither of them had made it.

Mab had liked Justine. She was almost as well trained in courtesy and politics as any courtier and was far more likeable than most. Thomas’s sister had allowed Justine to be buried in the Raith cemetery, her grave mutual to his. They had laid them to rest together, hand in hand, their love - so toxic to him when he was alive - now finally allowed to conquer eternity.

She hadn’t been in the funeral, she hadn’t been invited and didn’t want to intrude. Hell, she hadn’t even  _known_  he had died until she had summoned Harry for a task and he had shown up drunk, unshaven and in generally bad shape.

She had been glad Harry was so intoxicated when she found out about Thomas’s death. She had been glad he hadn’t seen her eyes frosting over, her lip trembling as Harry explained about the foolishly heroic death and the funeral and—

It wouldn’t do good to start tearing up again, even if she was alone in the remarkably small graveyard, anyone could wander in and see her and after all crying now would ruin her reading voice and she really wanted to continue her tradition. It seemed important, especially today.

Flicking her fingers to summon a tiny light to read by, she opened the book and rested it on her lap.

Oh—

That chapter.

She bit her lip and took a big breath and started reading. The chapter was mild in general but she had read it before, she knew what was coming and reaching the end of it she had to close the book for a moment, her hand in it as a bookmark and lean over her knees to bury her face in her gown. She knew what was to come next anyway.

> _The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest._
> 
> _The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock._
> 
> _“There’s nothing you can do, Harry -”_
> 
> _“Get him, save him, he’s only just gone through!”_
> 
> _“- it’s too late, Harry.”_
> 
> _“We can still reach him -” Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would not let go…_
> 
> _“There’s nothing you can do, Harry… nothing… he’s gone.”_

"It had to be that chapter, had it not?" she said through her tears with a pained smile. "And you were so much like him and your brother so much like his best friend, he still does not realise how—"

"Mab?"

She looked up, hastily wiping her eyes, snapping the book shut.

Of course.

"Sir Knight." she said politely, already having composed herself, tucking the book in a silver purse.

"Why are you here?" Harry asked with a resigned expression, "Do you have to intrude here too?"

She stared at him for a few moments not answering. She saw his expression change and soften when he took notice of the red in her eyes but didn’t give him the chance to say anything.

"I will leave you to your grief," she said, "Do not forget, the war council on the morrow." she said and was gone.

**Year Five**

The two visits per month had soon become more sparse, given how little time she had to eat, let alone sit down and do something for herself. The war was raging on and she had been spread thin between defending the Gates and running Winter. She knew Thomas would understand.

Oblivion take him, Thomas had been as well versed in politics as she had been. Had he not been so irrevocably touched by Dresden, had his humanity not been so rudely brought to forth, he’d still be alive. But Dresden had that magic (no pun intended) touch when it came to monsters like Thomas. Monsters like herself.   He had changed them both by always being so annoyingly human. He changed every single thing he crossed paths with. She wasn’t the same as when she had first gone to appoint him her emissary, she couldn’t be. How could she be when she had bonded with a vampire that much? How could she still keep that cold demeanor when a children’s book— when the simple theme of a film -fourteen notes on celesta could make her dissolve into tears?

Damn the both of them.

She had taken a break for the first time in years today to visit Thomas. It was the five year anniversary since his death. She didn’t bring a book with her this time — she had long ran out anyway.

Harry was there when she had arrived but he hadn’t questioned her presence this time. He had nodded to her firmly and stood silently by her  when she approached. None of them spoke of these meetings beyond this graveyard. It was their secret. A secret they didn’t even discuss between them.

Mab turned to look at her Knight, still looking in his late thirties, despite being past fifty now.

"I miss him too, you know." she said silently and made to leave. She had slashed her hand in the air and opened a Way. She was already on the other side and about to close it when she heard his rough voice. 

"I know."

**Year Ten**

"Ten years are nothing to me Thomas." she said as she settled against his headstone. "They pass in the blink of an eye and it has been a lot more on the Other side. You know how time runs in the Nevernever."

She had arrived a little past noon this time and was wearing a pair of sunglasses, mostly to hide her eyes than the light bothering her.

"Harry’s mortal is gone but I assume you know that by now — If there is a great beyond." she shook her head, "She was taken by a mortal affliction. I always thought she would bite off more than she could chew, if you allow me the colloquialism. And she could chew a lot, considering how little she was."

She had been shocked when she had found out that the mortal had surrendered to that disease and it had hit her Knight and Lady hard. 

Mortality isn’t easy to accept when you are not threatened by it.

"Your brother has learned to see beyond my mantle." she said softly, "I think you would like to know that… He has… I know not if he likes my company for comfort, or because you seemed to appreciate it. It does not matter as long as it helps him, for we have a great trial in front of us, Thomas, and I cannot face it alone with a broken Knight. "

She stood up caressing the headstone gently, “Empty Night is upon us and he needs you.” she said, placing a small kiss on her fingertips and returning them to touch the marble. “Empty Night and I never expected to miss you that much.”

There was distant thunder, the sky was rapidly darkening and Mab knew she was running out of time.

"See you on the other side, Thomas."


End file.
